North & South - Season 1 Episode 2

Maria Hale's health declines and her daughter Margaret decides to contact her brother Frederick – who had to leave England years earlier due to a wrongful court decision. The mill workers in Milton go on strike. In order to get his orders done in time, Thornton hires Irish workers. The angry strikers hear of this and in an attempt to threaten Thornton they hurt Margaret. Overwhelmed by Margaret's openly apparent readiness to save him from the strikers, Thornton decides to propose to her.